West Ham United have made Scott Parker a leading contender to replace Nuno Espirito Santo as their next manager, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Hammers made the decision to part ways with the Portuguese coach on Tuesday morning after a poor start to life in the Championship, with the team sitting eighth in the table after just six wins in their opening 13 games.

Espirito Santo was kept on in the summer despite being unable to prevent the team from being relegated from the Premier League, having replaced Graham Potter as manager early in the campaign. But a slow start this time around has convinced club bosses to make a change.

GIVEMESPORT sources understand that the final decision was taken by West Ham majority owner Daniel Kretinsky, who initially decided to keep him in the summer and went against co-owner David Sullivan who wanted to sack him.

The Hammers will have Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville in temporary charge of the team ahead of their clash with Cardiff City on Wednesday night, as they look to snap a two-game losing streak following home defeats to Southampton and West Brom.

But GMS understands that the West Ham board have turned their attention toward appointing Scott Parker as the next manager of the club, and an agreement is close for him to take over and return to the club where he spent four seasons as a player.

• April 2026 — Scott Parker left Burnley by mutual consent after their Premier League relegation.
• May 2026 — West Ham were relegated to the Championship on the final day under Nuno.
• Summer 2026 — Daniel Kretinsky retained Nuno, overruling co-owner David Sullivan's wish to sack him.
• Autumn 2026 — Back-to-back home defeats to Southampton and West Brom intensified pressure on Nuno.
• November 2026 — West Ham sacked Nuno with the Hammers eighth after 13 Championship games.

It's understood that a deal has already been agreed, and it's likely that Parker will be in charge of the team for the trip to Cardiff tomorrow night.

Parker is currently a free agent after leaving Burnley last season, having led them to promotion to the Premier League in a record-breaking campaign. Parker has also previously led Bournemouth to promotion from the Championship, making him somewhat of a specialist in getting out of the second tier and back to the top-flight.

During his time at Burnley, the team conceded just 16 goals in 46 games as they finished behind Leeds with 100 points. Goalkeeper James Trafford paid tribute to Parker's management, calling him 'incredible'.